The present invention relates to computers and circuits for turning computers on and off, and more specifically to a hardware and software controlled on/off circuit for computers.
Security of computers, especially retail point-of-service (POS) terminals is of utmost importance to the end user of the product. To that end, it would be highly undesirable to a retailer if power to the terminal were accidentally (or intentionally) removed. A complete shutdown of the terminal would result in a loss of transaction data. The terminal would have to be re-booted and the entire program contents of the terminal would have to be reloaded, jobs which necessarily consume a great deal of time.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a hardware and software controlled on/off circuit for a computer requiring security, such as a retail terminal. It would also be desirable for the on/off circuit to provide "fail-safe" hardware control over power removal, while providing a topology wherein the resident terminal software plays an intervening role in the power removal process.